Who I Would've Nominated

It's February 6th! This is good news because today the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences officially begins its final round of Oscar voting. Academy members will select who takes home those coveted Oscars in 24 different categories from the list of nominees that was announced on January 15th. Because I had some disagreements with that list(No Lego Movie for Best Animated Feature? No Force Majeure for Best Foreign Language Film?? No Birdman for Best Editing??? No Snowpiercer for Best Production Design???? No Selma for Best Actor????? Best Director?????? Best Cinematography??????? Best Editing???????? Ok, I need to stop), I decided to make my own.

I have included every category for which I saw at least 3 movies. The only categories you won't be seeing here, or anywhere else probably(It's okay to admit it), are Best Live Action & Best Animated Short Film, and Best Documentary Short Subject. I also won't be posting my nominees for Best Picture since I don't want to spoil my list of the 10 Best Movies of 2014 which I'll be posting next sunday, exactly one week before the Oscars. I can tell you one thing: there's no "Selma situation" here. If you want to figure out which movies are in my Top 10 just start with the ones that have more than two nominations on my list.

This sunday, February 8th, I'll give more hints for my 10 Best Movies of 2014 when I post the second edition of my year-end 8 Top 8 Lists, featuring my favorite performances, quotes, scenes, and other fun lists compiled from the movies that most stood out for me in 2014. For now, let's stick with the nominees, first the Academy's and then my own so you can see where I differed the most from them.

And the Nominees are ...

And now my nominees ...

Best Actor in a Leading Role

5. Tom Hardy - Locke

4. Jake Gyllenhall - Nightcrawler

3. David Oyelowo - Selma

2. Michael Keaton - Birdman 

1. Brendan Gleeson - Calvary

Best Actress in a Leading Role

5. Reese Witherspoon - Wild

4. Marion Cotillard - Two Days, One Night

3. Julianne Moore - Still Alice

2. Lisa Loven Kongsli - Force Majeure

1. Essie Davis - The Babadook

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

5. Ethan Hawke - Boyhood

4. Mark Ruffalo - Foxcatcher

3. Edward Norton - Birdman

2. Andy Serkis - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

1. J. K. Simmons - Whiplash

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

5. Mia Wasikowska - Only Lovers Left Alive

4. Emma Stone - Birdman

3. Agata Kulesza - Ida

2. Tilda Swinton - Snowpiercer

1. Patricia Arquette - Boyhood

Best Achievement in Directing

5. The Grand Budapest Hotel - Wes Anderson

4. Selma - Ava DuVernay

3. Force Majeure - Ruben Ostlund

2. Boyhood - Richard Linklater

1. Birdman - Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Best Original Screenplay

5. The Grand Budapest Hotel - Wes Anderson

4. The LEGO Movie - Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

3. Force Majeure - Ruben Ostlund

2. Calvary - John Michael McDonagh

1. Birdman - Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Armando Bo, Alexander Dinelaris

Best Adapted Screenplay

5. Wild - Nick Hornby & Cheryl Strayed

4. Snowpiercer - Joon-Ho Bong & Kelly Masterson

3. The Babadook - Jennifer Kent

2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Mark Bomback & Rick Jaffa

1. Obvious Child - Gillian Robespierre

Best Achievement in Cinematography

5. Selma - Bradford Young

4. The Immigrant - Darius Khondji

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel - Robert Yeoman

2. Birdman - Emanuel Lubezki

1. Force Majeure - Fredrik Wenzel

Best Achievement in Film Editing

5. Selma - Spencer Averick

4. The Grand Budapest Hotel - Barney Pilling

3. Whiplash - Tom Cross

2. Boyhood - Sandra Adair

1. Birdman - Douglas Crise & Stephen Mirrione

Best Achievement in Production Design

5. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - James Chinlund

4. Interstellar - Nathan Crowley

3. Birdman - Kevin Thompson

2. The Grand Budapest Hotel - Adam Stockhausen

1. Snowpiercer - Ondrej Nekvasil

Best Achievement in Costume Design

5. Snowpiercer - Catherine George

4. Guardians of the Galaxy - Alexandra Byrne

3. Selma - Ruth E. Carter

2. The Immigrant - Patricia Norris

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel - Milena Canonero

Best Achievement in Makeup & Hairstyling

5. Into the Woods - ??

4. Only Lovers Left Alive - ??

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel - Frances Hannon & Mark Coulier

2. Foxcatcher - Bill Corso & Dennis Liddiard

1. Guardians of the Galaxy - Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou & David White

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Dan Deleeuw, Russell Earl, Brian Grill, and Dan Sudick

4. Force Majeure - Samir Arabzadeh & Hakan Blomdahl

3. Under the Skin - Rachael Penfold, Dominic Parker, and Tom Debenham

2. Interstellar - Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter, and Scott Fisher

1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Joe Letteri, Don Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, and Erik Winquist

Best Original Score

5. The Grand Budapest Hotel - Alexandre Desplat

4. Interstellar - Hans Zimmer

3. Birdman - Antonio Sanchez

2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Michael Giacchino

1. Under the Skin - Mica Levi

Best Original Song

5. "Split the Difference" - Boyhood - Ethan Hawke & Charlie Sexton

4. "Lost Stars" - Begin Again - Gregg Alexander & Danielle Brisebois

3. "Step You Can't Take Back" - Begin Again - John Carney, Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois

2. "Everything is Awesome" - The LEGO Movie - Shawn Patterson

1. "Glory" - Selma - John Stephens & Lonnie Lynn

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

5. The LEGO Movie - Wayne Pashley

4. Unbroken - Becky Sullivan & Andrew Decristofaro

3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Will Files & Douglas Murray

2. Birdman - Martin Hernandez & Aaron Glascock

1. Whiplash - Craig Mann & Ben Wilkins

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

5. Under the Skin - Nigel Albermaniche

4. The Babadook - Frank Lipson

3. Birdman - Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, and Thomas Varga

2. Whiplash - Thomas Curley

1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Ed White

Best Documentary Feature
5. Finding Vivian Maier

4. Jodorowsky's Dune
3. Virunga

2. Citizenfour

1. Life Itself

Best Foreign Language Film

5. Ida

4. We Are the Best!

3. Two Days, One Night
2. Wild Tales

1. Force Majeure

Best Animated Feature Film

3. Big Hero 6

2. How to Train Your Dragon 2

1. The LEGO Movie